Do Awards Matter? Apr 22, 09, 5:26 a.m.

Having a great convo about this in the office today and thought I'd share with you crazy kids:

Do design awards matter?

One side of the argument says yes because it shows relevancy and outstanding work.

Another says no because clients don't want award-winning agencies, they want agencies who can show ROI and be appropriate for the job.

(*lights fuse...runs away)

April Fools Mar 31, 09, 10:53 p.m.

Spot the best ones...here's one from the Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/…

60 staffers gone at CP+B Feb 5, 09, 11:50 a.m.

http://www.adweek.com/aw/content…

"In response to the current economic climate, advertising budgets are being reduced in virtually every industry. On a comparative basis, CP+B's business is doing well but we are not immune to the constriction of the economy. Our two main responsibilities are to our clients and to our employees. And in order to most prudently manage our business, we have taken the difficult step of reducing our staff by 60 of our 900+ employees. We do not anticipate any further staff reductions. These are extraordinary times and we hope that we will not have to do this again."

60 out of 900 isn't that bad, but then again - didn't expect it to be them.

Worst TV Ads of 2008 Dec 11, 08, 5:54 a.m.

Some these are just horrific. Was the CD smoking crack that day?

http://www.brandrepublic.com/Cam…

Campaign: Agency Of The Year 2008 Dec 11, 08, 4:59 a.m.

And the winners are:

http://www.brandrepublic.com/Cam…

Creative Agency: Mother
Media Agency: Media.com
Direct Marketing: Elvis
Digital Agency: AKQA
Ad Network: BBDO

Best Medium: Dave
Advertiser Of The Year: Transport For London
Campaign Of The Year: Hovis/MCBD

UK VAT Reduction - 17.5% > 15% Nov 28, 08, 5:11 a.m.

<rant>
I don't think any one of these idiotic politicans realized how annoyingly difficult this would be.

For an agency, we need to change the prices on EVERY SINGLE e-commerce site in both the creative and the back-end to reflect this, completely screwing already tight projects that are all due before the Christmas holiday begins.

We are not amused.

</rant>

TFL gets a re-design Nov 24, 08, 9:38 a.m.

For all you London dwellers, you might be interested to know that the TFL site just got a re-design.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk

Looks like they are trying to make it easier to find station closures and the like now that the engineering work for the 2012 Olympics is in full swing.

I'd be curious to hear what people think as it's a nice attempt at proper usability and IA. (*realizes he just said dirty words...ducks and runs for cover)

Layoffs... Nov 4, 08, 5:07 a.m.

Ok agency types...anyone showing signs of downsizing at the moment? We're seeing a little bit here in London but nothing drastic so far.

Agencies In Greece Oct 10, 08, 7:19 a.m.

Hi. A friend of mine is moving to Greece - just curious if anyone can recommend any good agencies out there?

New XBOX Site Sep 26, 08, 7:52 a.m.

New XBOX site just launched - would love to know your thoughts.

www.xbox.com/en-GB

Dead Space Animated Comic Sep 15, 08, 1:40 p.m.

Just caught this - really nice animation and a cracking storyline. Quite looking forward to this.

Episode 1:

Episode 2:

Episode 3:

Episode 4:

Episode 5:

Russian Propaganda Posters Sep 3, 08, 11:40 p.m.

I can't read Cyrillic, but some of the work here is pretty fantastic.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bpx…

UK/EU Passport Checks Jul 31, 08, 7:31 a.m.

Interesting - here at the office, we just got an email saying that all UK companies are required to keep all copies of all non-UK passports (EU/visas, etc...) in FULL and that audits are now being regularly undertaken each year.

Were they always this strict? I can't remember when any of my employers over here were so cautious about visas/passports.

Client Side Or Agency Side Jul 28, 08, 8:54 a.m.

Let's say you get two job offers which are identical in salary and responsibility but one is agency side, another which is client side.

You must choose one. Which way do you go?

iPhone 2.0 Pwage Tool Jul 20, 08, 12:34 a.m.

This will either make you shrug with indifference, close your browser and run away or bring a very big smile to your face.

Either way - you know what to do:

http://blog.iphone-dev.org/

Fastest Guitar Player Ever Jul 17, 08, 11:07 p.m.

Ok, I know what you're thinking - Slayer, Napalm Death, Yngwie Malmsteen, et al - right?

WRONG!

Check this out - makes me really worried about what kind of arthritis this poor guy is going to have in a couple of years. Truly sick.

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/14…

SF: Meraki Wi-Fi Jul 9, 08, 11:10 a.m.

Hello SF People. Just curious if anyone out there is using Meraki and what it's like? Has it totally bogged down yet?

http://venturebeat.com/2008/07/0…

Are You Employable? Jun 30, 08, 1:04 p.m.

"Pulling from my experience as an agency designer, creative director, freelance designer, and now agency owner, I want to offer some advice for what skills and understanding are required for employability in today’s Web design professions.

I know from experience what the better agencies are looking for and I surely know what my agency looks for in a potential employee. I don’t suggest, however, that this is a comprehensive list, but it does touch on what I believe to be the minimum requirements for a competent and employable designer.

I hope that this list and my suggestions help aspiring designers to better craft their own preparedness and, if necessary, adjust their degree plans toward a more effective and responsible result.
Here are some minimum requisite skills and traits for Web designers entering the workforce:"

http://www.andyrutledge.com/the-…

Did you forget your timesheet? Jun 24, 08, 10:49 p.m.

http://adweek.blogs.com/adfreak/…

For those who bill by the hour, timesheets are the bane of their existence. While the Anomaly and Crispin dudes work out a new industry compensation model, for now agency folks are doomed to continue tracking their time. Considering this is a profession filled with creative types, it stands to reason there are some tardy people.

Avenue A/Razorfish is going all Hester Prynne 2.0 on them. Its HR department in New York has set up a flat-screen TV that flashes offenders’ photos with a message that reads, for example, “I haven’t done my timesheet in 3 weeks.” An agency rep said the tactic is paying off, with some more diligence on the part of the offenders.

Glassdoor Jun 11, 08, 1:15 p.m.

Here's an interesting site that looks at company's cultures and average salaries.

LOTS of interesting reading about Yahoo, Google and Apple for those of you interested...

http://www.glassdoor.com/index.h…